LEXINGTON, Ky. — Lisa King has a yoga studio set up in her basement to work with clients who are in different stages of menopause. She has been running her business, Lisa King Yoga, for over a year.
“My goal is just to help women thrive through this time in their life, not just survive so that whether you’re 40 or you’re 70, I want you feeling good in your body, said King.
She calls going through menopause a journey. When hers began, she didn’t understand what was going on.
“I started having a lot of symptoms over a period of time and I really just didn’t know what was happening to me,” said King. “I felt like it was probably something to do with aging and when I went to doctors, I found very little support.”
The severity of symptoms varies between each individual experiencing menopause. Some may not feel much of an impact, while others’ lives can change dramatically.
Dr. Robyn Faye, a certified menopause practitioner who is also on the women’s health advisory council for HealthyWomen, has seen a wide range of symptoms throughout her career.
“25% of women are going to be able to write their own book which is going to include everything from hot flashes to night sweats to sleep disturbances to mood changes where they’re going to feel as if... they just are not themselves,” said Dr. Faye. “They dislike their bodies now.”
King started getting involved with yoga in her forties as a way to deal with some of those symptoms she was experiencing.
“I became a yoga student, and I just saw what difference it made mentally and physically in my body and then decided for my 50th birthday I wanted to share the gift with everybody else,” said King.
She became certified in menopause movement and yoga. This, or movement in general, paird with good nutrition are things that Dr. Faye believes are vital for those going through menopause.
“One of the biggest complaints that people have with menopause is weight gain and it’s so wonderful that somebody, you know, is doing a yoga studio and is concentrating on exercise for, you know, menopausal women,” said Dr. Faye.
King’s personalized plans for each of her clients is what drew in Heather Daniels.
“I have right now some, like, mild osteopenia in my hip,” said Daniels. “Part of getting older, little bit of bone density loss so just having someone be able to tailor that and talk to them and understand women’s bodies in their forties helps me relax into that, strengthen that area, and not re-injure myself.”
King offers private yoga instruction, one-on-one menopause coaching, and a combination of both.
“When a client reaches out to me, we have a discussion about what their goals and what their needs are because every women’s journey through menopause is very unique,” said King.